As is well known in the art, wax, especially paraffin wax, is the main constituent in most candles.
From ancient times, wax has been melted and poured into molds where it cools and hardens to a desired solid candle form. During the 20th century, extrusion and/or press molding of solid wax particles below their melt temperature have become additional major production methods for making candles.
From the start of the 21st century, due to steep rises in crude oil prices, the cost of paraffin wax has soared. Prices of all waxes and wax-like products, such as fossil, synthetic plant and animal waxes, have also soared. There is thus a need in the candle industry to significantly decrease raw material costs.
One obvious way of decreasing raw material costs is to reduce the size of the candle. However, there is a relationship between parameters, such as but not limited to, the size of flame, the type and size of wick, the rate the wax burns, and candle weight which determine the length of time the candle burns. Accordingly, reducing the size of the candle forces the manufacturer to take steps, such as adjusting the properties of the wick and/or flame, in order to maintain the same length of time that the candle burns. In addition, the candle manufacturer must take into account various demands of the consumer, such as but not limited to, size, weight, burn time, flame properties, etc. There are no easy or obvious solutions to the problems faced by the candle manufacturer to reduce costs without compromising candle properties.
A known problem in the prior art is keeping water from being mixed with the wax in the candle manufacture, such as water that can get trapped in the vicinity of the wick. It is well known in the prior art that water in the candle wax is undesired and can result in phenomena, such as flame flickering or sputtering, wick clogging, smoking or others.